Lily's Brother
by Lyonia
Summary: When Harry goes into his parents' time, you often see him becoming James' little brother. What if Harry instead became Lily's little brother? Time travel AU, WIP. Gen.
1. Depression, and a Solution

_**Lily's Brother **by Lyonia_

_**Disclaimer: **Do you need to ask? You do? Wow, well I don't own Harry Potter._

_**Summary:** When Harry goes into his parents' time, you often see him becoming James' little brother. What if Harry instead became Lily's little brother? Time travel AU, WIP. Gen._

_**Warnings:** Angst at the beginning, will hopefully even out later. Roller-coaster ride emotions, and a plot that's not even fully planned out. Lame humor, but you should have expected that from the first place. Character death, but I think time travel negates that._

_**Beta:** None, which is why this is so bad. If you find any mistakes (grammar, spelling, or otherwise) or have any suggestions, PM me or leave it in a review please._

_I'm not very good at writing long things so expect a lot of short chapters. However, I will try my best! Ganbaro!_

* * *

A lone boy of seventeen years knelt in front of the newly raised war memorial, tears streaming freely down his angry red cheeks. He didn't even try to hide his sobbing, despite his usual defensive nature- after all, there was no one left to see him, so why bother?

His parents had been killed early on in his life due to a prophecy regarding him and the Dark Lord Voldemort. His godfather had been killed by a cousin, but it might as well have been him because it was only due to his own stupidity that his godfather was fighting in the first place. Dumbledore had died not in battle, but because of a crazed sycophant's actions. Harry had watched him die, and was unable to do a single thing to help. Not to mention his dear friends, Ron and Hermione... They were planning on getting married right after they graduated, but that was not even an option anymore. Ron had shielded him from a brutal blood-boiling curse, while Hermione dueled with Bellatrix Lestrange, their spells passing each other mid-air, both striking their marks fatally. Most of the Order, including Remus Lupin, had lost their lives as well.

All of their names were written on the memorial. Harry traced every one of them with his fingers before setting down the flower bouquet he had brought for the occasion. It was all his fault...

Harry James Potter, Defeater of Lord Voldemort and Saviour of the Wizarding World, took out his holly and phoenix core wand and determinedly turned it upon himself. "AVADA-"

**_BOOM._**

If Dudley Dursley were here, he might have said something like, "Where's the cannon?" But he wasn't, so he didn't. Harry was thrown back into a tree. His wand flew across the air before landing in the palm of an old, crotchety woman wearing brown wizarding robes.

"Who-"

Harry was cut off by a loud, nasally cackle, one that seemed to last for years before it stopped.

The witch had a twinkle in her eye so very similar to a certain lemon-drop loving headmaster of his. Harry felt a bit of nostalgia creeping up on him, and shook it off.

"Ooh, I hadn't had such a laugh in _years_! Ickle Harry Potter, trying to cast an Unforgivable- on _himself_!"

Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"Magic, child! I'm Magic!" She started on another round of evil cackles.

Harry unabashedly dropped his jaw and stared at the obviously crazy woman. Finally, he regained his composure. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it off. Why exactly is my death (Harry couldn't quite yet say 'suicide') so funny to you?"

The witch grinned, rows of yellow teeth glinting maliciously in all their glory.

"You actually think that Death- of all things- will make you happy. That it would make them-" she gestured to the memorial stone- "happy. That's so _precious_," she crooned.

He raised an eyebrow. "And you apparently think otherwise."

An unearthly gleam entered the woman's eyes, and Harry felt, in that moment, maybe that the old woman was telling the truth when she claimed to be Magic personified.

"Of course, dear. Why would they be happy when you die, if they died for _your _sake?" She 'tsk'ed at the silly boy.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Harry asked, frustrated with the situation, Magic, and everything. "I can't be happy here- there are too many bad memories. I don't think they'll really want that either."

Magic actually rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Which is why you _won't _be staying, and why I'll erase your memories too."

"You can't do that!" Harry screeched, "It's not righ-"

"It's fine. Do you want to meet your father first or your mother?"

"My mother," Harry replied to the non sequitur, having heard more stories about his father than his mother. "But what does that have to do with-"

"Goodbye, dearie."

And somewhere, the Fates cursed at their cousin for making them redo so much of their work.

* * *

A beautiful red-haired woman leaned back on the hospital bed, still slightly panting from exertion. A man with black hair cradled his sore fingers that previously were held in his wife's. A nurse with a kind face came in, briefly knocking before she did so. A little blonde toddler followed suit, eyes wide with wonder.

The nurse handed two bundles of cloth to the woman. Immediately, the tired shadows in her eyes were chased out, and she sat up straight to receive them. "Your children," the nurse murmured softly, "What will you name them?"

The blonde child climbed up on the bed to snuggle with her mother and siblings. She poked at the red-head. "Liwy," she said.

"To keep with the plant theme?" asked her mother, smirking knowingly.

"And Linden," supplied her husband, stroking the head of the black-haired boy. "Following the plant theme, of course."

The couple lovingly smiled at each other.

The nurse stifled a giggle. "They're both wonderful names," she said. She snuck out as quietly as she could to leave the family to their moment.

**TBC.**


	2. Cokeworth, England

_**Lily's Brother** by Lyonia_

_**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter or any of his alter-egos. (Linden Evans, for one…)_

_**Summary**: When Harry goes into his parents' time, you often see him becoming James' little brother. What if Harry instead became Lily's little brother? Time travel AU, WIP. Gen._

_**Warnings**: None in this chapter._

_**Beta**: Nada, which is why you'll likely find many mistakes. Should you notice any (grammar, spelling, or otherwise) or have any suggestions, PM me or leave it in a review please._

_I'm not very good at writing long things so expect a lot of short chapters. However, I will try my best! Ganbaro!_

* * *

The town itself was rather dreary and grey. Early in the mornings, men sluggishly walked towards the mill at the centre where many- if not all- of the townsmen worked. Mothers snapped at their children to wake up and eat before they had to go to school at nine. It was the same in every household, and every house was the same with identical brick, terraced houses.

Except for the children of Number Seven, Grist Road. Three bright-eyed children bid their adieus to their mothers before racing off to the old school building at the southern edge of town, by the railroad.

Leading the race was 10 year old Petunia. Her blonde hair flew behind her as she passed her younger siblings easily. She had a determined look on her face- she had her pride as the eldest! Her longer legs gave her a distinct advantage.

Following close behind was 9 year old Lily. Red haired and with strikingly green eyes, her face conveyed the same emotion as her older sister. She would never leave a challenge unanswered.

Coming from behind at a more leisurely pace was (also) 9 year old Linden. His hair was much similar to his father's in color- black as coal. His eyes were more similar to his twin's and mother's, only slightly darker and with rectangular glasses. He sighed at his sisters' enthusiasm. Couldn't they be a little more mature?

Lily touched the schoolhouse door a second before Petunia did. Petunia sighed in resignation, but there was always next time. The other kids from the neighborhood fawned over Lily and congratulated Petunia for her improvement.

Just then, the door opened to reveal an angry woman staring down at the still-panting girls. The woman scowled in distaste as she noted the wrinkles and crease lines on their dresses. "In," she barked.

The children all went in muted, all amusement gone at the sight of the grumpy teacher. About a minute later, right as the bell started to ring, Linden walked in.

He blinked. "Oh, am I late?"

Ms. Occram smiled at her favorite student. She assured him, no, he was exactly on time, he mustn't worry about such trivial things. She practically dragged him to his seat.

Lily and Petunia glared at Linden for the blatant favoritism he received, as did most of the classroom.

* * *

The school bell rang, finally dismissing the tired students from the establishment of torture. The Evans' siblings were lucky (or smart) enough that they did not have to stay after.

"Linden," said Petunia, eyes alight with mischief. "Guess what?"

Linden frowned. "What?"

"Petunia and I were exploring, and we found an old playground!" Lily boasted.

"I was going to say it!" cried Petunia, pushing Lily lightly. Lily tripped and almost lost her balance before Linden's hand grabbed her arm. "Sorry, not sorry."

Her brother glared at her. "This playground... Is it safe?"

"Huh?"

"Well, there has to be a reason why it was abandoned. Maybe something over there is defective. Maybe there are dangerous animals nearby. You have to be careful, you know. If one of you gets hurt, you know Mum and Dad are going to blame me for not taking care of you, as a 'man.'" Linden rolled his eyes at the last statement, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he heard. Which was actually true.

For some reason, Linden always felt different from everybody. He did not cry much as a child. Little spats between their siblings felt so below him, and he didn't understand why people thought of women as the 'weaker sex' when they were anything but. Anyways, Linden felt disconnected from the world, as if he were on the outside looking in. Luckily, his sisters always pulled him back, but there was always that feeling tugging deep in his mind…

Speaking of tugging, there was the hand of Petunia pulling him forward, making him stumble like a fool.

"LINDEN! Hurry up!"

Linden scowled and took his hand out of her evil grasp, wiping them on his trousers. He walked quicker, focusing on the path through the dirty streets. "Fine," he snapped.

Up ahead, Lily had stopped. Linden gazed over the area. All safety issues he may have had flew out of his head in his excitement. It was a small playground, and it was almost peaceful, peace being hard to find in an industrial city. There were two tire swings with rope that seemed sturdy enough. A metal slide (red with rust) was smack in the middle. By it was a little merry-go-round and a seesaw.

Any self-respecting kid over 13 would just walk away, thinking the entire thing too childish. But currently, Petunia, the oldest of them, was only 10. Thus, it was the perfect hideout and play place for them. Best of all, there were bushes and trees surrounding the area making it hard to see from anyone not looking for it.

Linden's sisters were already on the swings, going back and forth, higher and higher. The place was perfect, but… Linden felt something prickle on the back of his neck like a warning.

"I'm going to explore around here, alright?" he called out. The girls shouted their assent.

A branch creaked. Linden's eyes instantly picked out the direction where the sound came from, and he stalked forward.

A black haired boy with mismatched clothes looked at Linden warily.

"Well, well, well… What are you doing here, spying on my sisters?" Linden asked.

The boy gulped, trying to blend into the shadows of the bush.

**TBC.**

* * *

_And Snape enters! Not sure whether I'll have Good!Snape, Bad!Snape, or what. Also I have to decide about the Marauders… Anyways, the purpose of this chapter was to establish the siblings' dynamic. I hope I did a good job with it. Petunia will NOT be evil. She's just a little girl at the moment. She can be a little vindictive at times, but it's no indication on how she will grow up. Also, following the same line of thought, the Marauders and Snape will not immediately be evil/good. I'm hoping for character development; you should too! Opinions will be appreciated._


	3. Severus

_**Lily's Brother**__ by Lyonia_

_**Disclaimer**__: Arry-hay Otter-pay Oes-day Ot-nay Elong-bay O-tay E-may._

_**Summary**__: When Harry goes into his parents' time, you often see him becoming James' little brother. What if Harry instead became Lily's little brother? Time travel AU, WIP. Gen._

_**Warnings**__: Severus is a strange little boy._

_**Beta**__: Nada, which is why you'll likely find many mistakes. Should you notice any (grammar, spelling, or otherwise) or have any suggestions, PM me or leave it in a review please._

_I'm not very good at writing long things so expect a lot of short chapters. However, I will try my best! Ganbaro!_

* * *

Linden stared into the pitch-black eyes that glistened with fear and- was that embarrassment? For being found out? Somehow, Linden felt that those kinds of emotions had no place on this person's face.

Where in the world did that thought come from? Had he ever met this kid before? Surely he would remember, but he didn't, and the boy seemed so familiar...

"Are… are you alright?" asked the stranger, now looking at him with slight concern. Linden realised with a flush in his cheeks that he'd been staring at him for at least a few minutes.

"Fine," Linden said. He changed the subject abruptly. "Why were you hiding?"

The boy shyly looked at him, but not as uncomfortably as before. "It's not like I wanted to… It's just that this is my usual spot. Your- sisters, I think- intruded on this place, not me."

Linden blinked. Did Tuney and Lily have no preservation skills? They didn't even check if anybody was here beforehand. If anything happened, Mum and Dad would have grounded him for ages to come, he was sure. "Ah, sorry. You wanna come join us?"

"What- No! Leave me alone!"

The boy was then bodily dragged by Linden to the swings. He struggled, but it was all for naught when Linden faced his sisters, hand still tightly holding the boy's shoulder.

"Tuney, Lily, this is my new friend- there's all too much female influence here. His name is- hey, what's your name?" Linden asked, turning to the boy with a questioning brow.

"Snape," he mumbled.

"Snape?" Petunia asked, vaguely wondering if he was the one from Spinner's End.

The now-identified-as-Snape nodded. "Severus Snape."

* * *

"BOO!"

Linden Evans had been friends with Severus Snape for seven days now, and it was quite possibly the worst decision he'd ever made. Why? Because currently, he was dangling in mid-air by his ankle while his sisters were comforting 'the poor boy'.

Finally, Snape calmed down, and Linden fell from his awkward position, landing with a loud thump.

"You shouldn't have surprised him like that," scolded Petunia.

Linden gaped. "Are none of you going to talk about how impossible that was?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You missed the huge, dramatic reveal when Sev told me I was a witch- the good kind. And since you're my twin, it's likely you are as well."

"You're a what?"

"A witch, and she'll be the greatest, once she gets to Hogwarts- the school," Severus said.

He blinked. "All right… What about Tuney?"

They all faced the eldest Evans. Petunia shook her head. "I'm not. We checked." Seeing Linden's face grimace with a pained expression, Petunia huffed angrily. "It's not as if I need magic to be useful."

Severus watched the siblings' banter with uncontained confusion. "You really don't mind?" he interrupted. "You believe me, just like that?"

"It's not as if I haven't seen some strange things happen before. Magic just answers that question. Besides, while my amazing sisters won't hesitate to trick me, you haven't done anything untrustworthy yet. Innocent 'til proven guilty and all that jazz."

Severus Snape had been friends with Linden Evans for seven days now, and it was quite possibly the luckiest decision ever forced upon him.

* * *

Severus would flinch from human contact. He always looked around for the quickest getaway. His clothes were all so baggy- perfect for covering up bruises, Linden thought. Sev was terrified of rejection, and he was always so hesitant in giving his opinions on anything, sashaying away from any topics that made him uncomfortable. Even when Linden was just looking to give him a scare by shouting out "BOO!", his reaction was way too extreme to be normal.

Linden didn't like that one bit.

But as friends, he was supposed to let Sev come to him instead of demanding answers, right? However, Sev was so tight-lipped that it hurt. If he was in danger, would he really admit it to Linden and ask for help?

Forget restraint. Something had to be done.

"Sev, can I come over to your house?"

Nobody ever said that Linden was subtle.

Severus dropped his school books in shock. "What?"

Faux-casually, Linden shrugged. "Your house. You know, the place of your residence?"

"I know that," Severus snapped. "I just wanted to know why."

Linden could see Lily and Petunia trying to listen cough*eavesdrop*cough unobtrusively; apparently, they had noticed Sev's 'shyness' as well. "Well, from what you say, it sounds like magic is mostly genetic, so I wanted to meet your parents and ask them more about Hogwarts." There, a nice, non-invasive reason for going to Sev's house. Linden was quite proud of himself for that one.

Severus stared down at his feet. Linden thought that maybe he would actually need to force his way into Sev's house, but Severus spoke up.

"I guess you can come tomorrow, and meet my mother." Severus smirked at Linden's responding beaming face.

"Just us two boys," Linden replied, pointedly looking at Petunia and Lily's general direction. They gave a cheery wave, pretending that they _weren't_ just listening in rudely a few minutes ago.

The next day, as soon as the final school bell rang, Linden shouted out goodbye to his sisters before heading off to the old playground. Petunia rolled her eyes.

"As if we weren't going in the same direction anyways," she said to Lily. Lily smiled fondly as she grasped her sister's hand in hers.

"He's excited, and he's a **_boy_**. What else did you expect?"

They started to follow at a more sedate pace.

Linden was already at the playground at this moment. "SEV!" he yelled, calling for his friend. "I'm here, let's go!"

The gate creaked open. Severus scowled half-heartedly at Linden. "Let's just go before my father gets here. He's a muggle, and he doesn't know much about magic."

Was that why Severus was so grumpy? Linden thought. Or maybe it was just because of his unfortunate name, which coincidentally meant 'grumpy' in Latin. Linden snickered outwardly, but his mind was still stuck on how unhappy Sev sounded about his father.

Severus punched Linden in the arm. "Stop that. Let's go already."

**TBC**

* * *

_ Hurrah, a new chapter! So, Linden can feel some emotions from when he was Harry, and he's still as protective of his friends as ever. I've made a decision on what Snape will be like, and the chapter above does not necessarily reflect how Snape will be later on. Petunia's pretty cool with being a muggle because she became friends with Snape and she's not thinking that Magic=Root of All Evil, nor the Source of All Good. There's not much Lily in this chapter, but we have all of Hogwarts for that. Speaking of, Hogwarts starts 2 to 3 chapters from now! Tell me what houses you think everybody should be in!_


End file.
